Eileen Davidson Farewell Y&R Interview: From Her Exit Storyline, To Her Co-Stars, And Her Decision To Leave

In a candid and heartfelt conversation, The Young and the Restless exiting Daytime Emmy-winning star, Eileen Davidson sat down with Michael Fairman to discuss her decision to exit the series after playing Ashley Abbott on and off since 1982.

Eileen’s final episodes are now airing on the CBS daytime drama series. Just how will it end for Ashley? How will she leave the canvas? How sad will be her goodbyes? Y&R fans are counting down now to just a few more airshows that feature Eileen.

During this interview for the Michael Fairman Channel, Eileen clarified many points that the audience has wanted to know about or come to understand, in particular, what led to her making the decision to call it quits, and would she ever return and how would she feel if the series recast her role.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

In regard to what went into her decision to depart Genoa City, Eileen expressed: “It’s something I gave a lot of thought to. Not something you can just go, ‘Gee, this week I want to leave!’ I was really thinking about it for over a year ago. I talked it over with my husband and he was very supported of me. My son is in high school and my stepson had left the nest and it had gone by so quickly. I was like, ‘Wait! What happened?’ I was spending a lot of time in my car commuting; like two hours a day, and a lot of time in my dressing room, because our days are longer here than they used to be, and a myriad of reasons went into it. It was not just one simple thing. It was actually a whole bunch of reasons. Even though I won the Emmy (Eileen won Lead Actress back in April of this year) I had pretty much decided long before then. (Winning the Emmy) That was like “Oh, my God!” That actually made me feel my timing was really right … I get this incredible nod right before I’m leaving.”

The emotional part of leaving the place she has called her home away from home for Davidson is saying goodbye to her beloved co-stars including; her on-screen big brother, Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott). As Y&R viewers know, over the years Jack and Ashley’s relationship, and Bergman and Davidson, have shared plenty of screen-time together. Eileen also gives a very special thanks to the fans who have supported her through the years and who have followed Ashley’s journey.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Davidson expressed on her final storyline revolving the “Blood Abbott” clause and how it all ties up, “It’s such a great way to go. It’s so awesome how this whole thing comes up, and you realize how being an Abbott has affected her to her core.”

Now below watch Eileen’s farewell interview filled with clips from her performances and time on Y&R, and more heartfelt topics of conversation.

Then in the comment section below; tell us what you have thought of Ashley’s exit storyline? What do you hope happens for Ashley? What was your favorite part of this interview and the sentiments shared by Eileen?

I will miss Eileen more than words can say, but I respect her dedication to her family and wish her the best. Selfishly, I guess I’m a bit relieved too, because with Eileen leaving, I no longer feel the need to consistently keep up with the increasingly and frustratingly terrible Sony soaps.

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October 25, 2018 11:15 am

chaz

Understand her reasoning….shame it comes at a time where they are utilizing Ashley and Eileen’s talents to the fullest. Too bad it once again puts the brakes on an Ashley/Neil pairing. I thought the first time around…and this time…it would have made for an interesting coupling….also giving Ashley a new group of people…Neil’s family to interact with as well as the dynamic of Neil vs Victor because Victor is upset with Neil’s business decisions and Ashley then supporting Neil against Victor.

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October 25, 2018 12:17 pm

Beatrice

I am going to miss Eiĺeen Davidson so I wish her the best I really liked it when she said that stupid Kyle led Billy down with his gambling I wished in the heck Kyle can leave anytime I do not like him he is the one that started this crap with the document so good bye Ashley.

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October 25, 2018 3:09 pm

Marilynn Monnier

Sad that Eileen is leaving. She should follow her heart though. Great storyline and great acting. I wish her well. I hope she’ll return.

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October 25, 2018 4:18 pm

roseofsharonwht

I have always loved the character of Ashley, Eileen plays her the best I don’t think I could see someone else in that role. Eileen I wish you and your family all the best. I will miss you and Jackey’s sibling spat’s.

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October 25, 2018 6:00 pm

Maddy

Then you never saw Brenda Epperson who played her for eight years had chemistry with every man they paired her with ! ED left and came back in 1999 and really never was able to catch on with romantic partners ! Beth Maitland has thrown it out of the park. I hated John calling Ashley beauty poor Tracey nothing worse then being treated like you were a nobody the flashbacks stupid ! I hate rewrites if Ashley had been given the patents then why years ago if John knew that why did Victor take the company! And nobody for years knew about the safe! Just like a apt over Crimson Lights! Really??? This soap had only one direction to go and that’s down

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October 26, 2018 6:40 am

Ken Lasky

A truly beautiful person, and incredible actress. “Everybody needs a little time away”…….enjoy it, and can’t wait to see you return. Oh, is there a NEWMAN BLOOD clause?

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October 25, 2018 7:14 pm

Meg. Reddekopp

All the Best ,

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October 25, 2018 9:42 pm

Meg. Reddekopp

Thx Michael ,

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October 25, 2018 9:42 pm

Crickett

Good bye Ashley! Enjoy your family!

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October 26, 2018 5:08 am

Iakovos

Always loved Ashley Abbott and Ms. Davidson who gave her life. Ashley was complicated and genuine and classy. Yes, it was daytime drama but Ms. Davidson is gifted to take it to a higher level. Ms. Davidson made it so wonderful to watch Y&R these last 35 years. Thank you, Mr. Fairman and Ms. Davidson for this interview opportunity. I greatly enjoyed it.

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October 26, 2018 2:37 pm

Tonya Good

Smart lady to choose family over career!! I wish I had of done the same before it was to late. #Godspeedprettylady

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October 26, 2018 2:45 pm

Mary SFIM

Whenever a writer has to rewrite a soap’s history in order to make their story line work that is never a good sign. This whole exit story line was filled with holes it would take too long to list them. I could forgive that if the story had been compelling enough, but it wasn’t– wish ED well, but personally, I think she got out just in time.

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October 26, 2018 6:25 pm

Maddy

Amen

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October 27, 2018 6:39 am

Carrie Davidson

Awww! Sad to see to go! But also understand there comes a time when we need to spend more time with our love ones! God bless you and good luck!

In the aftermath of the letter that was sent to NATAS from daytime drama executives and producers demanding immediate change to the Daytime Emmys contest procedures, guidelines, or they would boycott participating in the upcoming 46th Annual competition, earlier today NATAS and its new president, Adam Sharp, released the findings of an independent investigation into the allegations levied against the academy and its annual competition.

After the full findings came to light , seemed to address most of the concerns raised by the four network soaps, Michael Fairman TV spoke with Adam Sharp to dive into what the reports means for change and evolution of the Daytime Emmys, and if it can resolve the issues so that General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, and Days of our Lives will come to the table and participate in the only kudofest honoring excellence in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes for daytime programming,

Here’s what Adam had to say about the key points addressed in our conversation below.

Transparency was a key issue noted by the soap producers in their concerns levied against NATAS. One of the points centered around if NATAS had prior knowledge of the winners before the opening of the envelopes at the ceremony and the integrity of the contest. What can you detail what the investigation found?

ADAM: On the matter of whether anyone had prior knowledge to the winners, the reports clearly state that there is no evidence to support that. To the concern raised on the arm’s length distance necessary between us and the accountants we use to tally the votes, again there is no evidence to suggest that there was anything short of what you would expect of the standards of the competition. What it did find was that there were processes that either by virtue of generosity and us trying to be helpful when they asked, or by a lack of documentation to make people aware of policies and procedures, that created the appearance of unfairness, or unbalance in the process that may have been completely unintentional. For example, the report noted that we did not have a published procedure for appealing decisions or filing any concerns or complains. Some of this started because of one entrant in a digital category that raised concerns, and it was certainly elevated when the four soaps sent their letter, but without a published procedure, you’re really putting the onus on the entrants to know who to call and how to bring their concern. So, that creates a system where there’s an imbalance because someone who doesn’t know who to call, doesn’t get the same hearing. Likewise, if someone has made a mistake or technical error in their entry, and they happen to have entered the process early, and we catch it, we, in the past, have gone back to people and said, “Hey, I don’t think you intended to do this. Would you like to resubmit?” But if someone is entering at 11:59:59 on deadline night, they won’t necessarily have that. Again, completely unintentional, but it could be argued that it created an imbalance or bias in the process, and the report made that clear. For those types of things, we are going to crack down and be more consistent about our policies. I told Brent and David that it’s going to mean saying no a lot more often in terms of giving waivers and extensions, and the types of things that we have done in the past to help people along. It is going to mean being more transparent and public about what our policies and procedures are so that every entrant has the equal set of knowledge to work from.

Courtesy/NATAS

Does this mean a demotion for David Michaels, Senior VP Daytime Emmy Awards?

ADAM: Absolutely not. That’s something that I want to put a very strong pin in right here. David led the 2018 Daytime Emmys to record participation and a growing audience. This new resourcing of the team allows him to be more singularly focused on doubling down on that success for 2019. The Daytime Emmys are the only entertainment award show to have posted year-over-year audience growth from 2017 to 2018, and more than 30% increase in the number of entries. The report rightly noticed that we did not do enough administratively to scale to that growth and to bring the resources to manage that added audience, and that added interest from competitors. So, now we are going to make sure that David and Brent Stanton (Executive Director, Daytime Emmy Awards) each have the support and focus they need to be successful.

When the letter from various soap producers pointed out a “conflict of interest” for having the executive producer of the Daytime Emmys ceremony also be the awards administrator, many were wondering how that would shake out, or how NATAS planned to deal with this complaint.

ADAM: Obviously, “conflict of interest” is a legal term of course, but I think that what the reports found was that it was not a conflict of interest. It was a conflict of time, and many of the more specific errors that were raised in the report, as I said to David, occurred in the 25th hour of the day. So, that is where it was really a resourcing problem, and a lack of procedure and policy problem. The lack of resourcing created the environment for something to go wrong, and the lack of policy and procedure created an ad hoc nature for how we address those problems and made that ad hoc response open to questions because there was no prior documentation that this was how these things should be handled. So, hopefully we have addressed each of these areas going into 2019, and that gives us a chance at a fresh start with the community.

Courtesy/NATAS

In response to the internal investigation findings, you mentioned you would bring additional resources to the Daytime Emmys, additional help in the operations, and you would add a “second pair of eyes”. Would you potentially let people know who is in those positions that would be working with David Michaels and Brent Stanton?

ADAM: Yes, so we are absolutely at a minimum committed to adding one full time position, and a handful of part time positions for that initial vetting process of the competition; that review of entries to make sure they meet the technical requirements, rules, and guidelines of their categories. Now, in the past, there would be one individual, one set of eyes conducting that review, but now, we are modifying our policies such that before any adverse decision is made, such as disqualifying an entry, a second pair of eyes review it and give their independent assessment of the technical criteria and qualifications of the entry, so that there can be more confidence that multiple perspectives were employed before making any decision that could have an adverse effect on an entry.

Could a daytime drama actor participate and submit their work on n their own without the show being a part of it, if let’s say, the soaps won’t participate as a whole? And on that note, what would be the plans moving forward for the Daytime Emmys if the soaps decide not to participate in the competition?

ADAM: If an actor or actress wishes to enter on their own with their soap still not participating: our rules permit anyone to enter independent of their program. So, there is not a requirement that a show participate for an individual performer on that show to participate. That said, they need to have the actual material to submit, and certainly a performer on that show is not necessarily the owner of that show and the owner of that content. So, the question of whether they would have the necessary access to and rights to the video material to submit, that would be a question to the show producers as to what they would allow of that. In terms of the Daytime Emmy ceremonies moving forward without the soaps, the old saying goes, ‘the show must go on,’ and hopefully, it won’t come to that. We have had constructive conversations with each of the broadcast soaps and believe our response and support goes a long way to addressing their concerns. So, we are looking forward to having them. Of course, they have a number of colleagues in digital drama, children’s programming, gameshows, and the rest of daytime television that we still expect to have a robust program at the 46th Annual Daytime Emmys in May of 2019.

You had mentioned that when you saw the results of the report that you felt it was very thorough, and you felt it pointed out things that needed to be fixed.

ADAM: Yes, the report was exceedingly thorough and fair. It delivered criticism where criticism was due, and there were a number of areas where we should have and must do better in the management of the Daytime Emmys and our other awards competitions. I think the report certainly examined every issue that had been raised by members of the Daytime community and then some. It allowed us to think about what actions we can take as a team to address each of those points. I don’t think any awards show in our space has ever undertaken such an in-depth introspection of their procedures, yet alone made it public. So, hopefully we are a trend-setter here.

The report indicates that NATAS will work more closely with the Television Academy (ATAS). That seems to always be a point of contention. How do you see yourself improving participation with them to engage that academy in more of the process?

ADAM: So, the relationship between the two academies has strengthened incredibly in the past year, largely through the leadership of our respective chairman, Terry O’Reilly, the chairman of NATAS, who was elected earlier this summer and Hayma Washington at the Television Academy. Obviously, they are going to have a new election soon as Hayma is retiring from the role. So, we can continue that momentum into 2019. What we note in our response to the report, was that one element of concern raised in the letter from the four soap producers was the mix of Television Academy members on our judging panels, and we want to be responsive to that. We are prepared to make Television Academy membership a much higher priority in our consideration of judges for these panels, but obviously accessing that membership and engaging that membership requires a deeper partnership with the Television Academy, and we will see to that.

You are starting the call for entries on Monday, November 12th. If the daytime dramas don’t participate within the timeframe you’ve given, do you see yourself adjusting the timeframe for the soaps if they were to say, “We want to work somethings out before we commit,” or are you just going to move forward if they are not participating in the deadlines you’ve set?

ADAM: Our deadlines are going to be rather firm for all entrants. We have a show date set for May and a process that moves backward from there in terms of the time that is needed. Certainly, the fact that we have added additional review steps and procedures makes that timeline even more critical. So, we are not going to be in a position to be extending extensions really to anyone. In fact, the report specifically discourages granting extensions to anyone because that could create the appearance of unfairness that some types of entries get more time than other types of entries. We welcome everyone, and if by the entry deadline there are particular genres, programs, or individuals that choose not to participate, we will miss them, hope they attend the show in May, and hope we can reengage them for 2020.

If the soaps did not participate in the 46th annual Daytime Emmys, but decided to come back later, it is my understanding that there would just be one drama category whereby web series and daytime soaps would be competing together in that. Is that potentially what could happen?

ADAM: I don’t want to go too many branches down off a tree of ‘what if’s,’ but our policies and guidelines do allow that if a category does not have a sufficient number of participants to be competitive, then that category can be eliminated or merged with another category or have its entries moved into another category for the competition. So, we will look at all of the categories once we have the entries to see which ones remain viable and which ones do not. Certainly, the fact that we do have digital drama categories gives us a place to contribute to have a drama competition regardless of what mix of entries we have. I suspect that once you combine those, it becomes very difficult to uncombine them in the future, but obviously the call to entries is revisited every year, so, I can’t think of any long-term prognostications beyond 2019.

Since you are relatively new to your position with NATAS, you probably weren’t expecting that the producers that signed the letter demanding that change and issues be addressed in regard to the Daytime Emmys or they would boycott, would be something you would be dealing with off the bat. How did you feel about it?

ADAM: Well, I’m obviously rather new to the role. My first day as interim president was the day after the Daytime Emmy show this year. I was only named the permanent president last week. It was certainly a trial by fire. I would not say that I had enough history with the daytime drama community to have any expectation one way or another, and I think that is also true of our chairman, Terry O’Reilly, who came into office on July 1st. That said, in a world of looking for silver linings, I think it gave us an opportunity for a blank slate and a fresh start. By the community raising these concerns to our attention, and allowing us to conduct this deep review and make it public and be responsive to the issues they raised, it gives us a lot more opportunity to strengthen that relationship in 2019 than if a lot of these concerns had just continued to deteriorate and be whispered about at various cocktail parties, but never really spoken up and therefore, never really addressed. So, while it was a painful process and there were parts of this report that were difficult to read, I think it gave us the opportunity to start from scratch and to put some of that history behind us.

So, do you think NATAS has addressed the concerns of the daytime dramas? What did you think of the points raised by Adam Sharp in this interview? Do you hope the Emmys will continue as usual with all four network soaps participating? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Genie Francis Talks On Her Return To GH, Fans Outcry Of Support & Her All-Time Favorite Storylines

October 24, 2018

On Tuesday, Genie Francis participated in a Satellite Media Tour with television stations and press outlets around the U.S. chatting it up on her return to her iconic role of Laura on ABC’s General Hospital.

Francis, who quickly wrapped-up her run after she was taken off-contract with the show back in January of this year, saw her and Laura exit Port Charles swiftly in a story-move that felt stilted to the audience.

Courtesy/ABC

After a huge outpouring of support on social media, GH fans cried foul on the play and wanted one of the series mainstays of all-time back where she belonged.

Francis elaborate it on that in our interview on seeing the show of support: “I couldn’t believe how long it went on and how big it was. I think part of that was it looked like they were finally giving me a story with the major storyline, and then they yanked it so quickly, and I think people felt cheated.”

GH listened and brought Genie back to the canvas with a new storyline that puts her front and center on the series, as Laura is unaware that her husband Kevin (Jon Lindstrom) is locked up in Ferncliff, while his evil twin Ryan (Jon Lindstrom) has taken his place. Now Laura is reeling from the strange behaviors being exhibited by her “husband”. Will she figure it out in time? Will she run for mayor again?

Photo Credit: ABC

During her conversation with Michael Fairman TV and the Michael Fairman Channel, Genie touched on what she knew was going to be happening for Laura when she came to the show: “I knew we were going to start with the Ryan beat, which I thought was great. Everyone loves a good sociopath (laughs) and Jon (Lindstrom) is a wonderful actor. It makes for an exciting story!”

Genie goes on to say that she is: “Just happy to have story, because it’s awfully boring to just be hanging around. I don’t want to be window-dressing. If it came to that, I think I might just leave.”

As to if Laura has a vendetta against Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) who for all intent and purposes murdered her son, Nikolas, Genie weighed-in: “She absolutely has a vendetta. I think right now, Laura who has the biggest heart and is kind of like the heroine of the show in many ways – but this is the one person on the planet who she truly hates, and it would be interesting if she had to go through the exercise of forgiving him, but I also like that there is that one place where we can see all of that negativity and evil come out. I like that Laura has a dark side. I really like that.”

Courtesy/ABC

To find out some of Genie’s all-time favorite storylines and least favorite storylines and more on her return watch the video below and make sure to subscribe to The Michael Fairman Channel for more upcoming interviews.

What do you think about Genie’s return to GH thus far and the sentiments shared in this interview? Comment below.

Y&R’s Gina Tognoni Opens Up About Billy’s Bombshell With Summer & What’s Next For Phyllis

October 18, 2018

Talk about walking in at the wrong moment and getting an earful! That’s exactly what happened to The Young and the Restless’ Phyllis on Wednesday’s episode. Taking the moment to level his revenge and payback for Phyllis’ romp with Nick (Joshua Morrow), her beau Billy (Jason Thompson) tells Phyllis that he slept with her daughter, Summer (Hunter King), right as Summer is standing there! With that moment now out in the open, and Billy’s intention behind it, look for fireworks to fly!

Michael Fairman TV caught up with Daytime Emmy-winning gem, Gina Tognoni, who brings the complex Phyllis to life on the CBS daytime drama series, to get her take on how Phyllis handles this shocker, and the ramifications it poses to her, and the key relationships in her life.

As to what happens in the near future, looks like Phyllis is not going to do too well with what has just come to light, and that may set her on a whole new trajectory! But will it be to Jack (Peter Bergman), to Nick (Joshua Morrow), or to someone else? And, oh, there is that little item of her part in the death of J.T. Hellstrom. Will that ultimately prove to be her downfall? Here’s what Gina dished on the latest developments from GC.

When Phyllis gets the bombshell dropped upon her that Billy had sex with Summer, in that immediate moment what does this mean for Phyllis’ relationship with her daughter?

GINA: Phyllis never saw this coming. She is gutted and disgusted with her daughter in the moment, and in disbelief that her daughter would turn on her like this.

What about Billy saying to Phyllis and Summer that he had revenge sex with Summer to get back at Phyllis for sleeping with Nick? Is she disgusted with him?

GINA: I mean, she is speechless with him. She’s speechless that he would stoop so low. In her mind, this is a different offense. Her sleeping with Nick is something that can’t be put in the same ballpark as Billy sleeping with her daughter.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Do you think Phyllis knew in her gut that Billy would sleep with Summer; after the truth about her tryst with Nick came out at Sharon and Nick’s wedding?

GINA: I think she was consumed with her own guilt and her own loss of control that it was not in the forefront of her mind. So, when he plops that on her, that’s what leaves her to be absolutely speechless. Whether you call it karma, or whatever, she got knocked with some of that, and she doesn’t know what else to say. She’s devastated by both of these people. In Phyllis’ mind she had moved on and was trying to make things right, but Billy sleeping with her daughter just crosses a boundary.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

I actually thought Phyllis knew in her gut that Billy would go to Summer, after the Shick wedding busted wide open, as she drank out those tiny liquor bottles!

GINA: She was drinking the bottles, and it was all out, and her life was beginning to unravel, which caused her to want to numb the pain, because it was getting so intense. It came out at the wedding that she slept with Nick, but what she was upset about was how Billy and she had now imploded, and their relationship has been forever changed. That’s what that drinking was about. They had overcome so much. Here they were trusting each other, she was supporting him, brought him out of his gambling addiction, and she ‘drowns’ herself, and then we come to today. She walks in, and he just unloads it, and says, “I slept with Summer.” From that moment on, we start to see that she has a break, and the break is in her personality. Not that she’s a multiple personality, but it’s literally so painful for her that it changes something within her, and we’ll see something within the next two to three weeks on-air of what that means. Phyllis gets really drastic, which has been fun to play.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Does she think at all, that this is her fault, because she did sleep with Nick?

GINA: Oh, yes. She’s so confused and so overwhelmed by how screwed up it’s gotten that she is in survival mode. We’ve seen Phyllis go in and out of that during the almost five years that I have played her. This is good stuff to play, and the writing is much more detailed than I have ever seen it. When you see the scenes that are airing the rest of this week, they were done in one take. Jason Thompson’s performance is so good, and Hunter King is really wrapping her arms around this role in such a cool way, that I just think the viewers are going to feel something. Phyllis is just wrecked.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

One of the great scenes that you’ve had this year was when Phyllis realized that Summer is going after her man and she confronts her. Phyllis slapped her own daughter and then went on the offense to keep her daughter from meeting up with Billy. Summer did try to seduce Billy, and his gambling addiction wouldn’t have resurfaced at this time in his life, if it weren’t for her.

GINA: Yes. Summer did push it. I think in life, people disappoint us in such a profound way. People are human. We will be disappointed. You pray to God that it’s not to certain levels, but it happens. At the end of the day this is still her daughter, and it’s that bond that you have forever, and you love them, and you have to find a way to forgive because it’s natural: that love in your heart for your child. That’s all I can say about this story, because it’s bizarre. (Laughs) It sounds so funny, “My daughter slept with my boyfriend.” (Laughs) You know what I mean? However, when you really think about it, Summer broke her mother’s heart.

Even though Summer was a big contributor to the combustion of Billy and Phyllis’ relationship, Phyllis wants what’s best for her?

GINA: That’s the way Mal Young (EP and head writer, Y&R) is writing it. I think that’s the most human way to do it. It doesn’t mean that you can’t be angry, or that you have to be trusting in a situation like this.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

What does this mean for any future for the duo known as “Philly”?

GINA: I was just saying to Jason Thompson: “I don’t feel like we’ve really worked together or hung out, because we’ve broken up on this show, so I never see you,” and he said, “I know! It’s so bizarre,” and it really is, because you get into such a rhythm with somebody. You develop this shorthand where you understand each other’s rhythms. Now, I’m getting to work with different groups of people. Phyllis and Billy have such a very good dynamic. It works. So, to mess with something that’s not broken, (I mean, obviously it’s broken in Genoa City) it’s a bummer. The good news is, maybe we’ll find our way back to one another. She loved Billy very much. That’s very much her soulmate.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Where does Phyllis see Jack in all of this? At times, in scenes, it looks like maybe she could rekindle her relationship with Jack.

GINA: Here’s the thing … Jack represented wisdom to her. Jack is the type of man that no woman should ever walk away from. Phyllis screwed that up. She also screwed up her relationship with Billy, but I actually think that Billy had a lot to do with that too. They both have demons. Billy and Jack are two great men that she has failed at. How does she live with that much failure? How does she see herself? What does she do? She can’t make Billy come back, and she can’t be forced to love him. They’re both so hurt by all of this.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Joshua Morrow was on my podcast Soap Nation Live recently, and we were talking about the hotness that is Phyllis, and how there’s this constant sexual tension between Nick and Phyllis, and how they play videogames as their foreplay, before they have sex. (Laughs) Where is that relationship at now?

GINA: Yes, there is that foreplay with the video games. (Laughs) Gina and Joshua have never really explored the dynamic of Phyllis and Nick. It was Michelle Stafford (Ex-Phyllis, Y&R, now Nina, GH) and Joshua who played that. Now we are getting a chance to get Gina and Joshua’s take on it. Joshua is very present when you work with hum, and that’s a very powerful thing. So, we’ll see what happens with those two, but right now it seems to be a very physical thing between them.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Then, there are the ramifications of Phyllis’ part in J.T.’s death and the four women in collusion to hide what happened to him. What is it like for Phyllis having to work with Sharon on this, when Phyllis was the cause of Sharon’s wedding to Nick to blow up?

GINA: Well, she’s compartmentalizing. She’s got the J.T. thing that she wants to control as much as she can, and she’s got to also be successful in her business career. She’s proving something to herself, and she’s proving something as a woman. Phyllis wants to be taken seriously, but she’s got this conflict that’s telling her that she’s a fraud. She’s got this murder cover-up that she’s involved with. Again, like in life, you try to go forward, but everyone has demons and things inside them that take them off their game.

Is there any part of her that thinks she could wind up in prison for this crime?

GINA: Yeah! Her whole life could just blow up to a whole other level! That’s how I see it!

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

I know throughout your soap opera career; the writers and producers have loaded you up with heavy material, because you are an accomplished actress who can always deliver. But, how do you feel now getting all of this material and trying to work through it?

GINA: I’m getting to a place just now where I’m going, “Okay. We’ve got this.” For the last month and a half to two months, it’s been a lot. Now, I’m starting to find my center and balance. At first, it was a lot to digest. I even felt emotional not working with Jason, and not working with Peter Bergman. There is that attachment, were you go as an actor: “That was ours. We built that, man!” Then it moves on and it takes its shape, and you have to remind yourself that’s your job: that you are the chameleon. You have to come in and sell it, and commit emotionally, because that’s your job. There are certain days that I feel too much, and I have to remember to just breathe. Day by day is how I take it, but I feel good.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

If you could preview to the audience what they should watch for with Phyllis, what would you tell them?

GINA: Watch the subtle differences within Phyllis. There is even a different look in my eyes. I’m bringing her to a place, and she’s bringing me to a place that I have never

So, what do you think Phyllis should do now in her relationships with Summer and Billy? Are you glad the truth is out that Billy had sex with Summer? Who should be the new man in Phyllis’ life? What changes do you think will happen to her personality as previewed by Gina in this interview? Comment below.